Science

More than a thousand scientists who study dinosaurs and other long extinct creatures begin a convention in St. Paul this week to talk about their new discoveries.
Minnesota-born Peter Agre and another American, Roderick MacKinnon, won the Nobel Prize in chemistry on Wednesday for studies of tiny transportation tunnels in cell walls, work that illuminates diseases of the heart, kidneys and nervous system. Agre's late father had predicted that Peter would one day win a Nobel Prize. His mother, Ellen, got the call at 6:45 Wednesday morning about the award.
Minnesota homeowners are experiencing an invasion of Asian lady beetles. They cluster around buildings in large numbers during fall as they search for protected sites to spend the winter months. MPR's Dave Molpus talks beetles with entomologist Jeffrey Hahn.
Gov. Pawlenty wrapped up his first trade mission by calling for greater cooperation between Minnesota and Montreal. The governor returned from the two-day trip on Tuesday, saying there are opportunities for business and research partnerships between the two regions in the area of biotechnology.
Gov. Tim Pawlenty says he may seek tax incentives for biotech research and investment in Minnesota. The governor is promoting Minnesota's biosciences and medical industries during his first trade mission in Montreal. The governor says the Canadian government offers much more generous tax breaks to the biotech industry.
The Pawlenty administration and others watching the Minnesota economy see biotechnology as one bright light on the horizon. And no single place better captures Minnesota's biotech dreams than a sprawling, abandoned building on the western edge of St. Paul. The city bought the building this month to serve as a non-profit "incubator." Officials hope the empty space will nurture fledgling biotech entrepreneurs into tomorrow's powerhouse corporations.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty leads a trade delegation to Montreal this weekend to focus on biotechnology, as the governor tries to promote Minnesota as a place for biotech companies. Pawlenty and other biotech boosters say Minnesota is well poised to compete in the rush for biotech business. Skeptics say the state doesn't have the resources to become a major biotech player.
What's that flying by Duluth's Hawk Ridge? A bird? A plane? No! They are dragonflies, migrating south by the thousands. And now there's a new field guide so you can tell them apart.
This year marks the 100th anniversary of manned flight, and to celebrate this landmark, we hear former astronaut and former Ohio Sen. John Glenn at The City Club of Cleveland.
The Columbia accident has renewed the debate over manned space flight, and whether it's worth the risk and expense to send astronauts rather than robots into space. Former astronaut Katherine Sullivan says manned space flights--and other types of exploration--should continue. Katherine Sullivan was a member of the very first space shuttle astronaut class. She flew three shuttle missions and was the first American woman to walk in space. We hear a speech she gave this summer at the Chautauqua Institution.